Theater-seat light



June 15 1926. 7 1,589,321

B. M. MCCONNELL ET AL THEATER SEAT LIGHT Filed May 20. 1922 5/ nvmv r03 3, 4a. WM

MTG ATTORNEY.

l atented .lune 15 1926.

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFEQE.

BURT M. MCCGNIIELL AND "WALTER, FRIEND,'OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF T'WO-TIIIRDS T SAID McCONNE-CLL AND ONE-THIRD T0 MARTIN T. FISHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

THEATER-SEAT LIGHT.

Application filed May 20, 1922. Serial No. 562,434.

This invention is a self-contained lighting device for attachment to a theater seat. The regular theater, the opera, and many moving picture theaters furnish printed programs for their patrons. However, practically the only time the patron may read his program is before the curtain rises, or between the acts, the theater is usually darkened during the performance. If a patron wants to know who it is that first comes on the stage in the middle of an act; if the curtain has risen, and he has forgotten to consult his program as to'where the scene is laid; if, in a moving picture theater, where musical and vaudeville numbers are often interpo-j lated between the pictures, he wants to know at what stage of the performance he has arrived, and what is coming on the program; in all these cases, under existing conditions, the patron is literally in the dark as to obtaining an answer, even though the answer is there on the program in his hand.

This invention is a light which is attached r to the seat in front of the seat in which the patron is seated, and which may be turned on as desired by the patron himself so that he may consult his program at any time during the performance. The light com prises an assembly of a battery, a switch, and an incandescent light-essentially the three elements of the ordinary portable or pocket flashlight in wise use today. The battery is preferably the ordinary'dry battery, although a wet or storage battery mightbe used, if desired.

The assembly includes means for attaching the device to the back of a theater seat, preferably in the space between two' adjacent seats, or entirely on one seat, so placed as to be reasonably accessible and yet not so as to be in the way of persons entering or leaving their seats.

The housing containing the battery and the light is made so that access may be had to such elements for renewing them. To this end, the housing is made separable; however, in order to pre 'ent unwarranted opening of the housing, a locking device is used.

It has heretofore been proposed to put a light on the back of a theater seat, the current being supplied by wiring from the floor, and the lighting of the light being due to the fact that The light, while primarily for enabling one to consult his program, is useful in loeating seat checks, powder puffs, etc., that may be dropped on the floor.

Other ways of carrying out the basic idea here involved are shown in the application of Burt M. McConnell filed of even date herewith, Serial No. 562,433.

Referringv now to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, I

Fig. l is a sectional elevation through the improved light;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the hood; I Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional viewof a detail;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a detail.

The lighting attachment comprises a battery receptacle 5 and a hood 6, which together form a housing for carrying the as sembly of a'battery, push button switch and an electric light bulb.

The receptacle or casing? carries a dry or wet cell 7 of standard design; a spring 8 forces it upwardly, so that its positive pole 9 contacts with the pin 11 loosely mounted in the insulating block 12, located in the upper part of the receptacle 5. This pin contacts with the central contact terminal 13 of a small electric light bulb 14, mounted in the socket 15, supported on the standard 16 mounted on the block 12. A spring contact arm 17 is soldered to the standard 16, as shown.

The standard 16 is supported on the washer 12; a spacing washer 10 of insulating material may be positioned as shown. which is forced past the screw threads to the lower edge of the hood 6. The washer 10 is cut away centrally so that when the hood is lifted ofi', the washer will clear thebulb let and arm 17.

The hood 6 fits over the bulb and contact arm 17 in its top it carries a push button 18, which is pressed upwardly by a spring 19 bearing against a washer 21, to which is attached a downwardly projecting pin 22, which is adapted to contact with the contact arm 17.

The receptacle or casing 5 and hood 6 are of metal, preferably brass, connected together by the ring 25 brazed to the hood and threaded onto the upper end of the receptacle 5. The current passes from pole 9 of the battery, through pin 11, into the lamp, thence through socket 15, standard 16, arm 17, pin 22, washer 21, spring 19, hood 6, ring 25, receptacle 6, spring 8 and thus to the battery can.

F or inspection and renewal of the parts, the hood 6 is taken off; if the spring 8 does not push the cell 7 out far enough, a nail may be inserted in the hole 26 for that purpose.

As shown in Fig. 2, an aperture 27 is cut in the hood 6, this aperture being so. located with respect to the light 14: as to throw the light outwardly and downwardly and thus shade the light for both the user of the light and his neighbors.

In order to prevent unauthorized opening of the housing, a locking screw 28 is used to lock the ring 25 in position. This screw is not provided with the'usual slotted head, but with a head bored with two holes, so that a screw-driver of special design must be used to remove it.

This lighting attachment is preferably mounted in the space between two adjacent theater seats, being attached to and supported by both seats with the long axis. of the housing substantially vertical. To this end,

two straps 31 are brazed to the receptacle 5; these are preferably of bendable metal, so

as to conform with the varying curvatures of theater seats; such seats are indicated at 32. Screws 33 with two-holed heads, like the head of screw 28, are used for attaching the straps 31 to the seats.

It should be understood' that this showing is purely illustrative, that the invention is not limited to the precise details here shown, but may be carried out in other ways.

We claim as our invention 1. A lighting device for use on a theater seat comprising a casing, means secured to' the casing and detachably engageable with a part of the theater seat, for mounting the casing between two ad acent seats whereby it is accessible to either of two persons sitting to the rear of the lighting device and whereby the lighting device may be applied to or removed from the theater seat as a unit, a cell, a light and a switch in circuit the switch being located in the top of the casing above the light, and means for directing the beam from the light downwardly into the lap of the user, while shading it from the eyes of the user.

2. A lighting device for use on a theater seat comprising a substantially cylindrical casin and a substantially cylindrical apertured hood of the same diameter as the easing, axially alined with the casing, a cell in the casing, a. light inside the hood mounted slightly above the aperture thereof, whereby the light beam directed downwardly and outwardly into the lap of. the user, while the light is shaded from the eyes of the user, a push button switch located in the top of the hood, for closing a circuit through the cell and light, and means carried by the housing and engageable with a theater seat,

for detachably mounting the device substantially at the unction of two seats with the longitudinal axis of the casing substantially vertical, whereby it is accessible to either of two persons sitting to the rear thereof,

and whereby the lighting device may be applied to or removed from the theater seat as a unit.

8. A lighting device for use on a theater seat, comprising in combination a substantially cylindrical casing member, a substantially cylindrical apertured hood member, an interiorly threaded collar secured to one of said cylindrical members and threadably engageable with the other cylindrical member, a locking device passing through said collar into engagement with one of the cy-' lindrical members for locking said members together, means for mounting the cylindrical'casing member on a theater seat with the longitudinal axis of said member substantially vertical, (1 light inside the hood member slightly above the aperture, thereof, whereby the light rays are directed downwardly and outwardly into the lap of the, user while shading it from the eyes of the user, and a switch at the top of the hood member, for closing a circuit through the li ht.

b BURT M. MoCONNELL WALTER rel-END- 

